Quarry Mount

Updated 20 July 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 5 April 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and one Expert by Experience in the care of older people. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. The registered provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with eight people and two relatives. We looked at five people's care records including medicine administration records (MAR).

During the inspection we spent time with people. We looked around the home and observed the way staff interacted with people. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a means of understanding the experiences of people who could not speak with us verbally.

We spoke with the registered manager, five care staff, the activities coordinator and catering staff.

We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the home. These included four staff files, quality assurance audits, minutes of meetings with people and staff, incident reports, complaints and compliments. We also reviewed feedback from people who had used the service and their relatives.

Updated 20 July 2018

We undertook an unannounced inspection of Quarry Mount Care Home on 5 April 2018.

Quarry Mount is a care home, which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 30 people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. On the day of the inspection 26 people were being supported.

Accommodation was located on the ground, first and second floor of the building and there was a bungalow located alongside the rear garden. The bungalow accommodated two people, who are able to live more independently than those in the main home.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the previous inspection in January 2017 the service was rated as Requires Improvement.

At this inspection we found the service had made improvements and was rated as Good overall.

On the day of the inspection Quarry Mount Care Home was experiencing a large number of cases of influenza affecting people and staff. In spite of this we found that care was continuing to be delivered appropriately, and staff were warm, welcoming and supportive of the inspection process.

People and their relatives complimented the compassionate nature of staff and told us staff were caring. On the day of our inspection we saw examples of kind and compassionate interactions that demonstrated staff knew people well. People's dignity, privacy and confidentiality were respected.

People told us they were safe. Staff knew what to do if they had safeguarding concerns and were aware of the provider's whistle blowing policy. People were supported by sufficient staff to keep them safe and the provider ensured safe recruitment practices were followed. Staff training was ongoing and the records confirmed staff received supervisions.

People's care plans contained risk assessments that covered areas such as falls, mobility or nutrition. Where people were at risk, their records outlined management plans on how to keep them safe.

People's medicines were stored securely and administered safely by trained staff.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and report on what we find. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to maintain good health and access health professionals when required.

People were complimentary about the food, and they were provided with choices at every meal.

People were assessed prior to coming to live at Quarry Mount Care Home and people told us staff knew them well. People's care files gave details of the level of support required and people's wishes and choices. These also contained information about people's personal histories, medical information, their likes and dislikes.

Information on how to complain was available to people and the provider had a complaints policy in place.

The registered manager ensured various audits were being carried out, where improvements were identified we found evidence that these had been carried out.

We saw that the service had a team that worked cohesively, supported each other and were well-supported by the registered manager. All staff we spoke to were committed to putting the needs of people first and providing a homely environment.